Technology news – Page 80
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NewsEast Japan Railway studies driverless operation
JAPAN: East Japan Railway Co has set up a team to develop plans for driverless operation, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reports. Trains would initially run with an onboard supervisor able to intervene in the event of an emergency, but in the longer term unattended operation is planned. JR East envisages ...
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Metro Report InternationalAutonomous shuttle to be tested in mixed traffic near Montréal
CANADA: Keolis Canada announced the launch of a 12-month pilot of an autonomous electric shuttle in mixed traffic on public roads in Candiac near Montréal on August 10. A Navya Autonom shuttle, with capacity for 15 passengers and an operational speed of 25 km/h, will serve several stops on ...
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Metro Report InternationalEdinburgh seeks tram driver vigilance system
UK: City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Trams have launched a competition offering funding to develop an automated driver vigilance system for its trams. The Driver Innovation Safety Challenge, supported by industry body UK Tram, would provide the winner with £168 000 for up to two years from Scottish ...
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NewsCatenary renewal fleet ordered
FRANCE: The RC2 consortium of TSO, Mobility, ETF and Setec Ferroviaire has selected Bergamo-based Tesmec Group to develop and supply a fleet of high-performance on-track machines for the replacement of overhead line equipment on Paris RER Line C. Under a €277m design-build contract awarded by infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau in ...
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NewsVirtually travel the world from InnoTrans with Bombardier Transportation
BOMBARDIER TRANSPORTATION: A ‘highly interactive’ indoor stand will be the focus of Bombardier Transportation’s presence at InnoTrans 2018, with the company opting to focus on dialogue with visitors rather than displaying hardware. A virtual reality exhibit will take visitors on an immersive 360° experience of cities across the world, featuring ...
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Rail Business UKRail data action plan aims to help tech companies
UK: A Joint Rail Data Action Plan was published by the Department for Transport and the Rail Delivery Group on August 8, setting out proposals for train operators to provide more real-time information which would help technology companies develop intelligent travel apps. ‘This will speed the development of travel apps ...
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Metro Report InternationalGRP overhead electrification mast trial
GERMANY: Karlsruhe regional light rail operator AVG is to test glass-reinforced plastic electrification masts supplied by the Powerlines Group at a turning loop in Ettlingen from September. A similar GRP mast has been on test at Oostende on the Belgian coastal tram line since 2013, where it is exposed to ...
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Rail Business UKArtificial intelligence to analyse rolling stock data
UK: Leasing company Porterbrook has announced a partnership with data science and cloud architecture consultancy Elastacloud, saying the two companies had identified ‘at least 30’ key performance indicators across the rolling stock sector that might be improved through AI. ‘Our industry produces large volumes of data that we all too ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail announces mobile ticketing pilot
UK: ScotRail is to launch a mobile ticketing pilot scheme which will enable passengers to buy, store and use tickets directly from a smartphone app, removing the need for paper tickets or smart cards. Developed by the Nevis Technologies joint venture of transport authority Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and payment ...
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Rail Business UKFliteTrak expands onboard monitoring capabilities
MONITORING: FliteTrak has launched the next generation of its ViatorRail intelligent remote monitoring system, which is being used by a UK passenger operator to assess engine temperatures and performance and see train movements in real time. The latest upgrade adds the capability to monitor vibration, shock, voltage, current and pressure. ...
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NewsHydrogen engine research grant
CANADA: The federal government’s Clean Rail Academic Grant Programme is providing C$25 000 for the University of Windsor’s Hydrogen Enabled Low-Emissions & Fuel Efficient Diesel Engine Combustion Technology for Clean Locomotives project, which aims to develop an experimental diesel engine capable of running on blends of hydrogen and diesel. The ...
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NewsCAF selected to develop Spanish test track
SPAIN: The ADIF Board of Directors has approved the award of a concession for CAF to develop and operate a railway test centre at Corella, 92 km from Pamplona in the Navarra region. The site is around 100 km from CAF’s existing research and testing facilities at its Zaragoza plant. ...
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NewsIsrael Railways to build cybersecurity centre
ISRAEL: National operator Israel Railways has awarded government-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems a US$8·2m contract for the development of a Cyber Security Operation Centre. This is intended to provide ISR with improved monitoring and control capabilities, and better protection against attempts to penetrate and attack its electronic systems. ...
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Metro Report InternationalChennai Metro selects Trimble diagnostics platform
INDIA: Chennai Metro Rail Ltd is to deploy Trimble’s asset management platform to provide real-time status monitoring and analytics for its fleet of Alstom trainsets. This is intended to improve the operator’s ability to make data-driven decisions, supporting root cause analysis of faults and streamlining maintenance planning. ...
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Metro Report InternationalGateless fare collection system developed
SINGAPORE: ST Engineering has developed a prototype gateless be-in be-out fare collection system, which it displayed at the Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition in July. ST Engineering says that ticket gates are the biggest bottleneck to station throughput, and this would eliminate that bottleneck. Cameras working in conjunction ...
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Rail Business UKUpgraded capacity indicators for road-rail vehicles
ROAD-RAIL: Pro Rail Services has taken delivery of four Doosan DX140 Parallel offset road-rail excavators fitted with the latest version of GKD’s 3RCi+ capacity indicator. The indicators include slew and height limits with ‘virtual walls’. There is selective intelligent hydraulic motion cut of any boom or slew function at the ...
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NewsDB Netz introduces ‘green’ driver advisory functions
GERMANY: This month, infrastructure manager DB Netz has introduced ‘green wave’ train running functionality to support the use of connected driver advisory systems. Train operators seeking to improve their energy efficiency have been encouraged to sign up to the service at 0·315 euro cents per path-km. Available on all routes ...
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NewsFreightliner to deploy RailSmart software suite
EUROPE: Freightliner has signed a five-year deal to use 3Squared’s RailSmart software suite, including exclusive collaboration for future developments. The Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary will initially roll out RailSmart in the UK, starting this year with the RailSmart EDS competency management module and RailSmart ORS rostering system. Subsequent modules ...
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NewsLoco control and communication connectors
CONNECTORS: TE Connectivity’s MU27P connectors are designed to provide reliable control and communication connections between locomotives and rolling stock. The 27-point plugs and receptacles with aluminium shells in five colours can be used for applications such as door controls, public address systems and brake indications. ‘These high-quality units are ...
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NewsDriverless heavy haul train completes first iron ore delivery
AUSTRALIA: Rio Tinto completed its first iron ore delivery using a driverless train on July 10. The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator had granted approval on May 16, and full commercial operation is planned for late 2018. The fully-loaded autonomous train with three locomotives carried 28 000 ...